2006-2007 FIFPro World XI Shortlist

By: Bob | September 26th, 2007

If you and I sat down at a pub and tried to pick the best XI football players in the world we probably could spend all night arguing about it before stumbling home to pass out in a puddle of drool. Sounds like a good time. You free on Saturday night? It might be fun for the 45,000 players who make up the FIFPro (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballers Professionnels) to also share libations while they make their all-XI selections, but instead each year they are asked to fill out a survey. Today we learn the names of the 55 players who have been shortlisted for the 2006-2007 World XI.

As is almost always the case, the list is made up of names from the leagues that get the most exposure and is a glorified example of a popularity contest. Twenty players played in the English Premier League last season, 17 in Spain, 15 in Italy, 2 in Germany, and one each in France and Argentina.

AC Milan heads the list for the most nominations with nine, Manchester United have eight, Barcelona, Chelsea and Real Madrid seven, Valencia, Liverpool, Inter, AS Roma and Bayern Munich two.

As for nationalities, Italy leads the way with the most players in the short list with eleven, followed by nine Englishmen, seven from Brazil, six from Spain, four from Argentina, three from Holland, France and Portugal, and Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Cameroon each provide one player in the 55.

The World XI will be announced on October 5, 2007.

The 55 player shortlist in full is: (Home country/ Club 2006/2007)

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy/ Juventus), Iker Casillas (Spain/ Real Madrid), Petr Cech (Czech Republic/ Chelsea), Nelson de Jesus Silva ‘Dida’ (Brazil/ AC Milan), Edwin van der Sar (Holland/ Manchester United)

Defenders: Éric Abidal (France/ Olympique Lyon), Daniel Alves (Brazil/ Sevilla), Roberto Ayala (Argentina/ Valencia), Fabio Cannavaro (Italy/ Real Madrid), Roberto Carlos da Silva (Brazil/ Real Madrid), Jamie Carragher (England/ Liverpool), Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal/ Chelsea), Cristian Chivu (Romania/ AS Roma), Ashley Cole (England/ Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (England/ Manchester United), Philipp Lahm (Germany/ Bayern Munich), Ferreira Lucio (Brazil/Bayern Munich), Paolo Maldini (Italy/ AC Milan), Marco Materazzi (Italy/ Inter), Alessandro Nesta (Italy/ AC Milan), Carles Puyol (Spain/ Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Spain/ Real Madrid), John Terry (England/ Chelsea), Nemanja Vidic (Serbia/ Manchester United), Gianluca Zambrotta (Italy/ Barcelona).

Midfielders: David Beckham (England/ Real Madrid), Anderson Deco (Portugal/ Barcelona), Mickaël Essien (Ghana/ Chelsea), Gennaro Gattuso (Italy/ AC Milan), Steven Gerrard (England/ Liverpool), Andrès Iniesta (Spain/ Barcelona), Ricardo Kaká (Brazil/ AC Milan), Frank Lampard (England/ Chelsea), Claude Makélélé (France/ Chelsea), Andrea Pirlo (Italy/ AC Milan), Juan Roman Riquelme (Argentina/ Villareal/Boca Juniors), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/ Manchester United), Paul Scholes (England/ Manchester United), Clarence Seedorf (Holland/ AC Milan), Xavi (Spain/ Barcelona).

Forwards: Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgaria/ Tottenham Hotspur), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast/ Chelsea), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon/ Barcelona), Thierry Henry (France/ Arsenal), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden/ Inter), Filippo Inzaghi (Italy/ AC Milan), Lionel Messi (Argentina/ Barcelona), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Holland/ Real Madrid), Ronaldinho (Brazil/ Barcelona), Ronaldo (Brazil/ Real Madrid/ AC Milan), Wayne Rooney (England/ Manchester United), Carlos Tévez (Argentina/ West Ham United), Luca Toni (Italy/ Fiorentina), Francesco Totti (Italy/ AS Roma), David Villa (Spain/ Valencia)

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Category: World Football

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marco

The Dream Team: Drogba Tevez
Messi

Quaresma Lampard Riquelme

D.Alves Zanetti
Nesta Toure
Cech
Juice

and Diego (Brazil/ Werder Bremen)??? Best Player of Bundesliga last Season and probably of the coming season. Got standing ovation in Madrid, from the fans of Madrid, because of his performance in Madrid win over Bremen...

Change him against Beckham, was suspended more than half of the season and is now injured most if the time
Kyle

Ronaldo making the list is comical. He hasn't done anything in the past 2 years, let alone last year.
adam

INZAGHI!??!! WTF!?!??
Sherry

henry?? why he's on the list?? he's useless last season...even cesc fabregas is MUCH better than him
Massaer

A lot of these players are on that list because of their stature, not because of their season.
Trent

One Arsenal player on that list, and one that, while otherwise brilliant, had a terrible season and left the squad.
john

Yeah, at this point it's clear that any FIFA ranking is intended to be a joke. Take the GK's for example - I love that Dida and Buffon were short listed and Reina was not. I think Roberto Abbondanzieri would have made the list (and should have) but for two things:
1. He plays for a team most englishmen have never heard of (Getafe CF).
2. He has too many syllables in his name.
Juliet

As is almost always the case, the list is made up of names from the leagues that get the most exposure and is a glorified example of a popularity contest.

Agreed. Ribery? Klose?